The club, which last season earned promotion to the Southern Counties North division, have been training since late June in preparation for the higher standard of rugby.

Among other gruelling exercise, the Broadmoor squad have been carrying four newly-acquired telegraph poles around the walls of the famous hospital.

Groups of six or seven players jog with the poles, with another two or three following alongside so as to provide some much-needed respite for their team-mates.

And coach Adrian Price believes their intense schedule is already paying dividends after his team held an experienced REME School Arborfield side to a 17-17 draw last Thursday.

“At the end of last season we believed that we were technically good enough to compete with the higher teams, but we weren’t fit enough and for us to go anywhere this season we have to match the other side’s for fitness,” said Price.

“As a result, we started pre-season training on June 24, which was a bit ahead of most teams at this level.

“I think it was a bit of a culture shock for the players because they were getting ready to pack their trunks for holiday and I had them coming in for training twice a week.

“To say that the sessions have been physical would be an understatement.

“I think everyone’s now got to the point where they are really fed up with it – in fact the REME game last Thursday was only the third time we’d actually touched a rugby ball in pre-season.

“We are now well on the way to fitness and there has been a considerable improvement.”

After losing just two league games all season, Broadmoor stormed to the Berks Bucks & Oxon Premier Division title, and Price is determined to see the club grow and consolidate their position in the higher division this time around.

He has added to the squad with a number of new faces, and this has also allowed the club to establish a 2nd team that will play in the Thames Valley Invitational league next season.

In fact, the only negative from what has been a promising pre-season for Broadmoor, has been the loss of two influential players from last year’s title winning and Berkshire Cup runners-up side.

Tight head prop Dan Harvey has left the club to try his luck at Lily Hill Park with Bracknell.

It is sure to be a big ask for the forward, who will step up three levels from the division he played at last season.

He does, however, go to Bracknell with the full blessing and best wishes of his former club.

Meanwhile, speedy winger Ben Yates will also miss the season after suffering cruciate ligament damage in his knee.

Price does not expect Yates to be available again until well into the 2011/12 season.

And the coach is now eager to sink his teeth into the opposition in the new division, starting with Windsor away on September 11.

But first they must get past two challenging friendlies against Farnborough on September 2 and Staines 2nd on September 4.

“It would be unrealistic to say we will win the league, but it would also be a huge failure if we go back down,” said Price.

“We have got a strategy to stay in the division, nobody other than Oxford knows much about us and we will be looking to give it a good go.

“Tadley are always a powerful team, Grove have to be in contention and Wooton Bassett have just come down to this league and will also be contenders.

“The difference between the third place and last place teams in this division last year were just one score victories.

“Everybody seemed to lose to each other over the course of the season so it was a very close and hard-fought league and I think it will be the same this season.

“We’re excited about the challenge and if we go into each game not fearing anybody and respecting the teams we will be able to give it a real go.

“There will be more defeats for us this season, but it is how we deal with those defeat as that will be paramount.”

— Anyone interested in joining Broadmoor are welcome to attend their training sessions at Wellington College on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7pm.

— The club is on the lookout for sponsorship to help with the costs of moving up to the new division.

Anyone who can help is urged to contact Alan Fenton on 07767 850127 or (01344) 649486.